Lynne Arriale Trio - A Long Road Home (1997)

During the second half of the 1990s, pianist Lynne Arriale grew as an individual stylist from album to album. Although she is fine on the medium-tempo pieces of this CD, a trio outing with bassist John Patitucci and drummer Steve Davis, it is her work on the ballads (including her own "Will O' the Wisp" and the folky "The Dove") that is most impressive. Her impressionistic playing is full of creative subtleties, and the brilliant bassist Patitucci seems to consistently inspire her. Even the standards (such as a re-harmonized "A Night in Tunisia" and a floating "Wouldn't It Be Loverly") sound fresh and new. At this point in time, this was the pianist's strongest set to date; easily recommended.